TIBETAN-HAN TENSIONS; LHASA TOURISM UP; HOTELS, HOSPITAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000170

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/26/2034
TAGS: CASC PHUM PGOV CH
SUBJECT: TIBETAN-HAN TENSIONS; LHASA TOURISM UP; HOTELS, HOSPITAL
PREPAREDNESS FAIL TO IMPRESS

REF: A) 08 CHENGDU 188; B) 08 CHENGDU 43; C) 08 CHENGDU 183; D) 08 BEIJING 4279

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CLASSIFIED BY: David E. Brown, Consul General, U.S. Consulate
General Chengdu.
REASON: 1.4 (d)

1. (C) Introduction and Summary: Conoffs traveled July 16-20 to
Tibet to evaluate hotel options for a possible high-level U.S.
delegation, as well as to evaluate emergency preparedness in
Lhasa. The number of Chinese and foreign tourists in Lhasa is
up from last year, when tourism halted for several months after
the March 2008 riots. Military and police presence remains
strong, especially in Tibetan areas. Tensions between Tibetan
and Han Chinese were evident. Few Lhasa hotels can accommodate
high-level delegations and the city's hospital emergency
preparedness appears weak. End Introduction and Summary.



On the Barkhor: Intimidating Police Presence and Tibetan
Unhappiness

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2. (C) During the evenings after inspecting hotels, Conoffs took
advantage of free time to visit and explore the historic Barkhor
Tibetan quarter. One Conoff who had visited Lhasa in August
2008 -- five months after the March 2008 unrest -- noted a
significant increase in the number of Western tourists over the
last 12 months. Of these, American tourists appeared to be the
largest group. The Kyichu hotel appeared to be completely full
with Western tourists, whereas last year, there were few other
guests apart from the four-person group from Consulate General
Chengdu. (refs A and B)




3. (C) Conoffs observed that ethnic Tibetans in the Barkhor
marketplace were openly criticizing ethnic Han Chinese customers
and cursing Han Chinese shopkeepers in their stalls. One
shopkeeper told Conoff, "Don't buy from them, they're Han. Buy
from us, we're the real Tibetans."




4. (C) Just as during the August and November 2008 diplomatic
visits to Lhasa (refs C and D),snipers were seen on rooftops
and armed military were routinely patrolling the Barkhor area.
Conoffs also saw a group of six People's Armed Police (PAP)
standing in front of a popular tourist restaurant, each carrying
a weapon and a fire extinguisher. Conoffs also observed what
appeared to be undercover police or military patrols, which
consisted of groups of baton-wielding men wearing black and
yellow "Lhasa Sports Club" track suits.




5. (C) Conoff spoke with a group of German tourists who stated
they had been harassed by local police after taking pictures of
military and police patrols in the Barkhor area. The police
told them to stop taking pictures and threatened to confiscate
their cameras if they did not comply.



Potala Palace: A Tibetan Speaks Up

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6. (C) During Conoff's tour of the Potala Palace, one of
Tibetan Buddhism's holiest sites, most visitors appeared to be
ethnic Han Chinese tourists. During the visit, an ethnic
Tibetan palace employee approached Conoff and asked where he was
from. After hearing that he was from the United States, he said
how much the U.S. helps Tibetans, and how all Tibetans are
grateful for American assistance. The FAO host immediately
broke away from the group, asked Conoff to move forward through
the palace, and appeared to gather information about the Tibetan
man from his name tag.



Limited Hotel Options in Lhasa For High-Level Delegation

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7. (C) Only two of the seven hotels that Conoffs visited appear
acceptable, yet these also have significant drawbacks:

-- According to its promotional materials, the Brahmaputra Hotel
is owned by a former Han Chinese military officer who served on
the China-Burma border. The hotel displays an extensive
collection of Tibetan artifacts of unclear provenance which,
according to the Consulate's Tibetan LES, may have been
misappropriated.

-- The Xinding Hotel's owner also owns the largest mining

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company in the TAR and, according to the same Tibetan LES, may
be guilty of human rights abuses.



Lhasa's Emergency Preparedness Lacking

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8. (SBU) Facilities and conditions at Lhasa's two largest
hospitals have improved since last year's consular visit:
hospital beds are up over 20 percent and the number of available
ambulances has doubled.




9. (SBU) Responses to questions put to hospital management and
medical personnel indicate that there is no planned response to
a major crisis. There appear to be no emergency trip-wires,
evacuation plans, or triage plans for large scale disasters such
an earthquake. The hospitals' current facilities, despite
recent improvements, are not well-prepared to handle a large,
sudden influx of patients.
BROWN